Moving picture machine



0ct. 20, 1931. R. DEcAux r1,828,032

MOVING PICTURE MACHINE Filed May 1o, 1929 4 sheets-sheet 1 ocr. 2o, 1931. R. DECAUX 1 1,828,032

MOVING PICTURE MACHINE Filed May l0, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 5, Vim

Oct. 20, 1931. "R, DECAUX. 1,828,032

NOVI-NG PICTURE MACHINE Filed May 1o, 1929A 4 sheets-sheet s Oct. 20, 1931. R. Dr-:cAUx `1,828,032

MOVING PICTURE MACHINE- Filed May 1o. 1929 `4 sneets-sneet 4 Patented 20, 193! UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEFlcE am nEcAUx, or"` raars, nunca, AssrGNoR To socm'ra Das ETABLISSEMENTS GAU- ION'l, OF PARIS, FRANCE, A CORPORATION 0F FRANCE MOVING Hernan MACHINE Application led May 10, 1929, Serial No. 361,924, and in France May 21, 1928.

ber of movable organs, making it possible to project thirty-five pictures per second and even more. A'

According to my invention, the film moves,

in a. continuous manner, valong `an arcuate v guide, past a window lighted by a luminous source which is combined With a condenser and said film occupies the focal plane of an optical system which sends a beam of parallel rayson a mirror which is caused to oscillate about an axis located in its plane. From that mirror, the luminous ra s are directed on to a stationary mirror is osed at caused to pass through an o jective, from which they are projected on the screen. The oscillating movement of the mirror, which is controlled by a cam, is synchronized with the forward movement of the band in such a way that, between successive extinctions produced by a rotary blade acting as a shutter, the image of' a determined point on the film is maintained stationary on the screen.

The chief object of my invention' is to provide a mechanical arrangement of the parts owing to which the oscillating mirror, the support bf said mirror and the control cam for controlling Vit are caused to cooperate under the best conditions, account being l taken of the inertia of the different pieces and of' the play which is liable lto take place as a consequence of wear and tear.-. The mirror is fixed on a platform pivoted to a rocking lever of adjustable position and carrying an arm which receives the oscillations of the cam. The mirror bears at three points on the platform and is maintained in place by springs, in suchl a way as to eliminate all deformation of the reflecting surface.

Other f essential particularities of the invention will be obvious from thejfollowing description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, given by way of example.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view, partly in section, showing the general lay-out of my apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a broken section taken along the lines 2-2a and 2"-2b of Fig. 3; v

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the apparatus taken through the vertical plane passing through the axes of the various optical systems;

Fig. 4 is a plan View showing the gears which connect the driving arm of the cam to the shaft of a toothed cylinder;

Fig. 5 illustrates the arcuate guide;

Fig. 6 is a front view of the mirror supportinmember;

ig. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is aside elevational view of a spring for applying the mirror againstr its support;

Fig. 9 is a similar view of another spring;

Figa-10 is a side view' of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a partial elevational view of the lhard metal plate carried by the arm of the mirror supporting member;

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section through Fig. 11; y

Fig. 13 is a plan view of the fork which carries the shaft of the mirror supporting member; l

Fig. 14 is a front view thereof;

Fig. 15 is a side View thereof;

Fig. 16 is a section through the spring piston of the forked lever;

Fig. 17 is a front elevational view thereof;

Fig. 18 is a side View thereof;

Fig. 19 is a lateral view of the arm of a modified form of mirror supporting member with parts in section;

Fig.'20 is a side view thereof;

Fig. 21 is a partial front View ofthe plate;

Fig. 22 is a partial section along the line y 22--22 ofFig. 19;

Fig. 23 is a diagrammatic section of a film stretching arrangement for prpventing sliding. V

The general scheme of my apparatus will be first described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4.

A designates the luminous source, B a condenser and C the film issuing from the winding spool D, driven by a toothed cylinder E passing beneath a tensioning roller F, over a fixed roller G, over the arcuate guide H, over the toothedcylinder I, then over the toothed cylinder J (at the same time forming a loop between these two cylinders) and, finally, on to the winding spool K.

L is an objectlve placed at such a distance from :guide H, that the surface of film C,

c focal planes of the system formed by them, so

that it isl possible to focus said objective on Y a screen placed at any distance whatever from the apparatus.

Mirror Mis supported by a mounting provided withl an arm N and it oscillates about point O. j

Arm N is urged by a spring T against cam P which, when rotated, gives to the mirror a suitable yoscillating movement, that is, a movement such that a luminous ray issuing from a point on the moving film will be stationary after being reflected from movable mirror M.

During the return movement of the mirror to fits initial position indicated in dotted lines a rotary shutter O1 brings during a suitable time a blade U of cylindrical form across the path of the luminous beam between guide H and objective L. Said blade passes a second time in the field. of the optical system producing a second occultation during the projection of the image, and this in order to diminish the scintillatio l The principle of my invention having been outlined, the general construction thereof will now be described. A frame a on which a plate b is fitted, forms a sort. of-tightly closed box provided with bosses forming the necessary bearings for the shafts that carry the various gears of the moving parts of the apparatus.

hese gears are therefore enclosed thus being protected against any cause of deterioration. Moreover one of said gears, indicated at c in Figs. 2 and 3, is in contact with a layer of oil existing at the bottom of the frame a, which bottom consists oftwo inclined surfaces a) a2, forming a trough in which the level of oil can be observed through a'transparent window as.

Gear c therefore dips in the oil and projects it over all the movable parts which are -thus constantlylubricated, as well as the -shafts and the bosses which form the'bearings in which said shafts are journaled. The drming shaft controlled through pulley V actuated as a fly wheel, carries, at the other extremity, cam P and also the driving pinions of the various gear trains which control the vshutter and the toothed cylinders E J which serve, respectively, to unwind the upper winding reel and tofeed the lower winding reel.

On said driving shaft is keyed a helicoidal pinion d which drives another helicoidal pinion e fixed to a shaft 7' which carries at another point a. helicoidal pinion f meshing with a helicoidal pinion z' keyed to the driving shaft of toothedcylinder I.

Two springs r r1, acting on a thrust ballbearing Z fixed to the extremity of shaft j cause said stop to bear constantly on a cam c integral with a manipulating knob m located outside the apparatus.

When the film, driven by the toothed cylinder actuated by pinions 'i and f, moves past the window in guide H, the displacement of the mirror under the action of cam P controlled by pinions e and d is such that the image ofa point ofthe band remains stationary between two successive assages of the shutter. There exists, thereor'e, in this -in- `terval of time and for a predetermined adjustment, a definite correspondence between each angular position 'of the mirror and each position of the film on guide H. In order to modif the relative positions of said elements, it su ces to advance a gularly one of the toothed wheels or d. Tliie problem is solved by displacing shaft y' in a longitudinal direction (Fig. 4) by meansxof cam lc, this displacement causing helical pinions z' and d to rotate through unequal angles respectively, as the inclination of the threads is not the y same in the two pairs of pinions e d and z' f. This makes it possible to adjust the position of the film in accordance with the movement to thev angular relative positioning of these two elements during their rotation or to cause defects in the stability and clearness of the projection.

The oscillating mirror must be yrigorously plane and it is silvered on one of its surfaces which bears on three Ipoints 1, 2 and. 3 of its support (Figs. 6 and 7). It is applied thereon by'two springs R1 Rz (Figs. 8, 9 and 10). Three copper contact studs 1, 2, 3 project slightly rom the support and the springs likewise carry copper studs n1 n2 naso disposed as to lie exactly opposite the studs of the mirror support in order to avoidany possible deformation of the mirror in spite of the ressure exerted thereon.

I e height of boss 3 must be regulated by means of wedges of various thicknesses placed beneath the head of the screw -which forms the boss 3 so as to bring the reflecting surface in a position parallel to axis w y through rotation about 1, 2.

Spring R1 (Fig. 8), which corresponds :to contacts 1 and 2, is provided, at both ends, with lugs 4 and 5 which maintain the mirror and prevent it from sliding in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation. v

The arm of the mirror support (Figs. 6 and 7) is hollowed out in order to reduce yits weight and carries at its extremity on one face a small boss N1 for maintaining in position the extremity of the spring which applies it on the cam and on the opposite face, i. e., the one in contact with the cam, a projection N2, properly rectified, made 'of hard metal, such as tempered steel, for example, which projection can be secured to the arm by soldering or other means.

In order to facilitate replacement of that piece in case of damage, it is possible to substitute therefor a plate of tempered steel g. carrying a lug t1 engaging a! hole in the arm, a notch 1n which engages another pin t2 fixed on thearm being adapted to prevent the plate from rotating. Three small contacts g1 g2 g secured to the arm would'then allow said plate to be given a well defined position on the arm upon which it is continuously applied by the action of the spring which pushes the arm against the i cam. Such an arrangement advantageously replaces an arrangement including a roller and diminishes the wear and tear and the inertia of the moving element. v

The distance from the axis of rotation muy of' the oscillating mirror to the axis of the cam must be varied by a small quantity in order to adj ust the angle of oscillation of lthe mirror to the advancement of the film, it being necessary that the linear displacement of said film should be compensated by a suitable angular movementof the mirror. In order to obtain this result by eliminating all possible play between the parts, the axis of the mirror supporting member is supported by two bearings 7 and 8 (Figs. 13, 14 and 15) integral with a member or support 9 pivoted to a shaft 10 fixed on the frame of the apparatus (Fig. 3).'

A spring piston 11 (Figs. 16, 17 and 18) is disposed under the extremityof member 9EL so as to cause it to swing about the shaft 10. A stop -13 (Fig. 3) is screwed into another boss fixed to the frame of the apparatus and limits this movement, thus allowing the dis.- placement of axis a: y] to the desired extent, without any detrimental play in the mechanism, as the actionof said stop limits the play of the shaft. in member or support 9, a1-

ways in the same direction and without loss of time.

This arrangement likewise facilitates the removal of the oscillating mirror support, when the mirror has to be replaced for example.

Lam P (Figs. 2 and 3) fits over the cylindrical extremity of the driving shaft and is fixed to a shoulder X of said shaft by means of a pin and screws allowing an easy mounting and replacing of this member. Said shoulder has substantially' the same sha as the cam .-but is disposed in such a posltion with respect to said cam that the correspondinfr bosses lie at an angle of 180 to each otiier, which very accurately balances the whole of the moving `bod Said cam is surrounded by a casing whose lower part is integral with the frameof the apparatus, the upper part, as well as the surfacebeingremovable for fitting on and re'- moving the cam.

The casing` contains a small quantit of oil which comes in contact with the cam t rough the medium of a wick P1 carried by a flat spring placed in such a way that one extrem-. ity of the wickdips in the oil, the other extremity of said wick being slightly in contact with the cam.

The optical system must be established with great accuracy as the axes of the objectives should be rigorously parallel, and, for

this purpose, the whole of the system has been 5 made as a single mechanical unit secured to the frame of the apparatus.

This allows of employing economical machining processes resulting in perfect accuracy. Objectives L and R S, fixed in cylinwo drical mountings, are completely engaged in corresponding Vcylindrical recesses, in which they are secured b an encircling clamping element. Guide Hy(Figs. 3 and 4)' adapted to be replaced subsequentl to wear duel to the passage of the film, is secured to the optical system which serves as a housing for shutter U. It is fixed thereto by means of screws and marking pins which allows of its interchang- 1ng.

The condenser, instead of forming a par of the projection lantern, is carried y a rigid mounting provided with an encircling clamp, said `mounting bein secured to the frame of the apparatus. I t us obtain a very 115 accurate positioning of the condenser, whose optical axis must coincide with that of objective L.

Finally, a platform 50 allows of interposing, between said condenser and the guide, a tank support 51, with or without water circulation, the purpose of which is to intercept, by means of the liquid that it contains, a large proportion of the heat rays of the beam of light before they reach the film.

The mirror support illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, while excellent from a mechanical point of view, may be rather expensive due to the finish that it requires. Furthermore, its weight (which it is desirable to reduce to a 130 minimum) might be too great for certain light apparatus of a known type and might neces sitate the use of a powerful return spring and, consequently the aplplication of too high a pressure of the steel p ate against the cam.

The mirror support shown in Figs. 19 to 22 composed of two elements, has been so devised as to reduce to a minimum its moment of inertia with respect to the axis of oscillation, which facilitates its working and allows of it being used in light apparatus.

Part 20, which carries s aft w y (Figs. 19 and 21) is made of hard metal turned and milled. Said part carries at 21 a circular shoulder on which is fitted the arm. Said arm is cut out of sheet metal, preferabiy of a light metal, such as aluminium magnesium, duraluminium, etc. It is secured by means of screws or rivets suitably disposed. Figs. 19 and 2O illustrate this member the extremities 22 and 23 of which are bent and perfectly planed. The mirror is applied upon said points by the corresponding springs, said springs being shown in dotted lines at R1' and R2 and secured in the same manner as in Figs. 6 andl 7. The outline of the mirror is .shown by dotted lines M.

The extremity of the arm carries at 24 and 25 two V shaped bosses and also two hooks 26 and 27.

Movable plate 30 (Fig. 21), which is made of very hard steel, is apertured at 28 and 29.

Hooks 27 and 28 engage hole 28 and slot 29 respectively.

When the arm, pushed by spring T, applies plate 30 against the cam, said cam always contacts the plate along one of `its generatrices. The plate is -fixed in accurate position bythe two supporting hooks without necessltating any special adjustment, whereas the above described mode of positioning b means of vthree points requires a special preliminary adj ustment..

When a plate is .worn out, all that is necesf sary is to slightly remove the lever from the cam, unhook the worn out plate and replace it by a new one, which will lit exactly in the place of the former without necessitating any special adjustment.

It has also been noted that due tothe difference in the pitches of different films, the uwinding movement of the film driven by the toothed cylinders was not always strictly uniform, this causing a lack in the A clearness of projection.

My invention likewise provides means for obviating this disadvantage. Said means consist of a smooth roller and a-roller com-A pressor between which the film is engaged before passing over the toothed driving cylinder. This arrangement regularizes the forward motion of the film by preventing the disturbances caused by contact with said drliving cylinder from spreading beyond the ro lers.

paratus of the t Leashes not strictly uniform, which results in a lack of clearness of the images projected on the screen.

In order to reduce to a minimum this uneven motion, I interpose between the lower part of frame H and cylinder I a smooth cylindrical roller 31 upon which the film is ap-' plied by a rubber covered roller compressorl 32 before passing around toothed cylinder I. The position of roller 31 is such that the film, between the base of the guide and toothed cylinder I, forms a broken line the variable curves of which form, due to the elasticity of the film, Aa sort of spring shock absorber whose action is as follows:

The part' of the' film included between toothed cylinder E and smooth roller 31 represents a certain ma to whicli is added that of roller 31. The part of the film in- 'eluded between the smooth roller and driving cylinder I o rates as a spring which absorbs the jerks o said driving motion and said jerks-are not transmitted to the system comprising, as already stated, the cylinder and the aforesaid portion of the film.

It will be noticed that it is a question of absorbing intermittent sliding of about one or two hundredths of a millimeter 'at an average rate of one hundred per second. vThe mass ofthe smooth cylinder may therefore be chosen very small.

In order to facilitate the mounting of the film said cylinder is very much hollowed out and, consequently, very light, the necessary ma being provided by an auxiliary cylinder ke ed on the same shaft and mounted in the body of the apparatus.

It is to be understood that modifications of detail could be made in my above-described device without departing from the spirit of my invention as comprehended within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as'new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

los j 1. In a moving picture prdjecting aption of an oscillating mirror, a platform supporting said mirror, three bosses on said platform forming three supporting points e described, the combina- Y forsaid mirror, flexible means for applying said mirror against said boes, an arm for transmitting oscillations to said platform, u

cam for transmitting oscillations to said arm, a pivot-ally mounted support for the platforni, and means adapted4 for adjusting the angular position of said support.

2. In a moving picture projecting apparatus of the type described, the combination of an oscilatiug mirror, a platform supporting said. mirror, three bosses on said platform forming three supporting points for said mirror, flexible means for applying said mirror against said bosses, an arm for transmitting oscillations to said platform, a cam for transmitting oscillations to. said arm, two trunnions carried by said platform, a stationary pivotally mounted forked lever, two bearings on said lever for supporting .said` trunnions and means for regulating the position angularly of said lever whereb the amp- .litude ofsa-id oscillations ofsai lplatform and of said oscillating mirror may be varied.

3. In a moving picture projecting appara-` tus of the type described, the combination of an oscillating mirror, a platform supporting said mirror, three bosses on said platform forming three supporting points for said mirror, flexible means for applying said mirror against said bosses, an arm for transmitting oscillations to said platform, 'a' cam for transmitting oscillations to said arm, two

trunnions carried by said platform, a shoulder on one 'of said trunnions adapted to receive said oscillation transmitting arm, a stationary pivotally mounted forked lever, two

bearings on said lever for supporting said trunnions and means for regulating the position angularly of said lever whereby the amplitude of said oscillations of said platform aud of said oscillating mirror may bel varied.

4. In a moving picture projecting apparatus of the type described, the combination of' an oscillating mirror, a platform sup orting said mirror, three bosses on said p atform forming three supporting points for said mirror, flexible means for applying said mirror against said bosses, an arm for transmitting oscillations to said platform, a cam for transmitting oscillations vto said arm, two trunnions carried by said latform,a stationary pivotally mounted for edlever, two bearings on said lever for supportin said trunnions and means includingan adjustable stop for regulating the angu ar position of said lever whereby the amplitude of said oscillations of said latform and of said oscillating mirror may e varied.

5. In a moving picture projecting apparatus ofthe type described, the combination of an oscillating mirror, a platform supporting said mirror, three bosses on said platform forming three supporting points for said mirror, flexible means for applying said mirror against said bosses, an arm for transmitting oscillations to said platform, a cam for transof said trunnions adapted to receive said oscillation transmitting arm, a stationary pivotally mounted forked lever, two bearings on said lever for supportingsaid trunnions and means including an adjustable stop for regulating the angular position of said lever -whercby the amplitude of said oscillat-ions of said platform-and of said oscillating mirror may be varied.

6. In a moving picture projecting apparatus of the type described, the combination ol an loscillating mirror, a platform sup orting said mirror, threebosses on said p atform forming three supporting points for said.

mirror, flexible means for applying said mirror against said bosses, an arm for transmit- 'ting oscillations to said platform,y a cam` 'for transmitting oscillations to said arm, a

7. In a moving picture projecting apparatus of the type described, the combination of an oscillating mirror, a platform supporting said mirror, three bosses on said platform forming three supporting points for' said mirror, flexible means forapplying said mirror against said bosses, an arm for transmitting oscillations to said platform, a cam for transmitting oscillations to said arm, a plate ofliard metal rigidly supported by said arm interposed between -said arm and said cam,

two bosses on said arm forming supporting points for said plate adapted to allow said plate to oscillate and follow the shape of the cam, a pivotally mounted sup ort for the platform, and means adapted'fldr adjusting the angular position of said support.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

' REN DECA-UX.

mittin oscillations to said arm,two trunnions carrie by said platform, a shoulder on one 

